As they approached Northbury Manor, they could hear the Watch whistles tweeting in the distance. “Something is up,” Michaels said softly, pulling her behind a gazebo. “We’ve a way to go before we get to the alley behind Northbury Manor.”
“What shall we do?” Tiffany whispered back. “There isn’t much cover here. I would take to the rooftops, but it would be difficult in skirts.”
They both looked out over the well-kept expanse of lawn near the manor house they were passing. There would be no way to walk across it without attracting notice.
“Skirts . . .” Michaels mused. “Best way to hide something is in plain sight. How are your play-acting skills, Miss Tiffany?”
“Well enough, I think. What did you have in mind? If you intend that I play your light o’love, do think again.”
“Well, it had crossed my mind. But I’m not sure it would serve anyway. We need to do something that will hide our faces. Too many people in this area know us both.”
“Which means that so simple a ruse would not work at all.”
As they crouched behind the gazebo, five or six members of the Watch rushed by, running toward the crumbling manor house.
“Oh, no,” Tiffany whispered.
“Stay still,” Michaels hissed, gripping her shoulder and forcing her down.
“Old Elizabet, all the others…she was confident they would be all right because she had just paid protection money this morning.”
“Must have paid the wrong Watch, then, because that’s a raid, sure as you’re born.”
“Should we go back?”
“And do what? They will be there before we can arrive. We would not be in time to warn them, and would only get caught ourselves.”
“Do you think there is a connection?”
“Connection?”
“Between the Watch making another raid and Lucas sending you to fetch me.”
“Might could be,” Michaels said softly. “Come on, let’s move. If any look our way, I’ll be your relative who is the worse for drink. It will give us an excuse to turn away and hide our faces at need.”
Tiffany was none too sure that this would be an effective ruse since the Watch was just as likely to take him in for drunkenness as not, but she took his elbow, and put her face down, huddling at his side.
Quickly, they moved around to the back of the manor house they were passing. Here, they dropped the attempt since it seemed a less than effective disguise.
Michaels noticed a wheelbarrow sitting beside the vegetable garden that was at the back of the house. He took up the handles, and began to softly whistle a jaunty air, while every foot or so, stooping down to pluck weeds out of the garden.
This garden was not particularly well kept, so there were plenty of weeds.
When another group of Watchmen ran by, also tweeting their whistles, Tiffany and Michaels both bent down and began weeding industriously.
When the clot of running men were out of sight, Michaels hurried to the end of the garden, leaving the wheelbarrow there.
The next long lot contained a small orchard with dense hedge rows around it. They carefully wiggled their way through the hedgerow, trying not to leave an obvious trail. After they both were through, Tiffany gently fluffed the bushes in an effort to conceal where they had passed.
“We are a scarcely more than halfway there,” she whispered to Michaels. “We’ve seen nearly three times the Watch we would normally see at this time of day. Something has happened to stir them up.”
“I know,” Michaels returned. “But there is nothing we can do about it. I don’t understand why Lucas said to bring you. But at this rate, we are going to arrive after the event has passed, one way or another.”
“There has to be a way that we can get there quicker,” Tiffany said. “All this skulking about is slowing us down. Moreover, I’d like to come in a bit more stealthily so we can get the lay of the land before simply announcing ourselves.”
“Are you sure that is the way to do it?” Michaels asked a bit dubiously.
“Certain,” Tiffany said. “If all is well and we are expected, we can come out of hiding easily enough. But if this is a feint to draw me out of hiding, then I will make matters worse by simply walking in and giving myself up.”
